As the federal government shutdown lingers on, passengers at major airports across the country might start to worry about it could impact their travel plans.

Federal air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are considered "essential," meaning these federal employees are expected to keep working despite not receiving a paycheck. They're supposed to get back-pay once the shutdown is lifted.

Impacts on air travel have been negligible so far.

How is the shutdown affecting air travel?

USA TODAY journalists who traveled over the weekend reported that lines at TSA checkpoints were normal at multiple airports. Data from FlightAware showed just 32 flight cancellations nationwide on Saturday and 70 on Sunday.

Still, the longer the shutdown drags

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